Chestnut Farm Homestead

Like with any new place, there are always a cast of characters that tend to make the time spent more worthwhile.  Here on the farm there are two Andalusians (a mother and daughter), a miniature horse, two American Guinea Hogs (male and female...maybe more on the way?!),  five Alpine goats (2 mommas, 3 kids), a Copper Maran rooster along with six hens and six chicks (that number has fluctuated for obvious reasons), a flock of Guinea fowl (the number at one time was unknown, now we are down to five), as well as two humans.  :)  Together they have welcomed us into their world and we have enjoyed their company greatly.  The contributions made have been good ones, and the memories, those we will hold onto for life.  

the herd

Bella

Blue Bell

turnips anyone?

The pigs under the mulberry tree

mulberries!!

First mulberry pie!

mulberry jam!

Copper Meran rooster

record hurricane rains

 Hershey

pre remodel

 post remodel

subway tile, butcher block counter top and shelves

new bathroom barn door

figs!

forest fungi

Bailey, the mini

pineapple sage

Laya (she’s 3)

2 Guineas sitting on 100 eggs. (just a guess)
none have hatched yet...can’t imagine why?! :)

a smaller nest of the barn variety, Carolina Wren

 Black Snake

(great at keeping the rodent population in check, but also good at eating your eggs before you get to)

baby chick caught a snake and proudly won’t share it with momma

home grown shiitakes

 stairway to garden and main house incorporating golden mean spiral

cuddles

da bees

John and the deck construction
(it stopped raining momentarily so I could take this picture)

the deck :)
(still needs post caps and natural wood balusters)

Oh, Freckle.

Yellow Watermelon, yum!!

the secret grotto :)

magic mushroom?

Comfrey

have you heard of horse swirlology?

 the life of a chestnut

Goats like chestnuts too :)

Copper Maran hen and her adopted chicks

sacred geometry in life form

the girls

the newest edition, Edith and her kid, Little Bit

Laya at a clinic with Mark Russell

future Paddock Paradise laneway!

Yarrow’s beautiful eyes

misty morning

As the sun sets on this opportunity, we cannot say thank you enough for all of the incredible people we’ve met and moments we’ve shared.  

We leave with many friends. 

Kidding

Baby goats, or kids, are hard not to love.  Like small dogs (or sometimes not so small) they enjoy human companionship, especially when hand reared.  Usually this is not something we’ve done, hand rearing or bottle feeding.  For one, it’s a lot of extra work heating bottles and delivering them multiple times throughout the day.  Usually, we just let the momma goat do her job and provide the milk.  Which they would have done in this case, but in this case things didn’t go as they usually do.  With all the research we’ve done, it seems there are many complications that can happen when a goat gives birth, or is kidding, as its called.  And we are here to tell you, that this is in fact true...but, this story does have a happy ending, for the universe works in mysteriously serendipitous ways.

Getting to see these two boys be born and grow was a great experience.  After loosing their mother a few days after birth, they relied on us (for bottles) and later their Auntie Blue Bell for milk.  Blue Bell was a first time freshener and lost her babies prematurely, but luckily for us, she was still producing ’some’ milk.  The process of her adopting the boys would ultimately take a couple weeks, and a lot of persistence and motivation (including fig newton treats :)) from all of us.  Today the boys are healthy and loved.  They are two little goaties, that won’t be little long, who we will never forget. 

Edna and Squiggle (newborn)

Freckle (newborn)

Edna and her babies

Blue Bell’s first interest

That’s why we call him Squiggle.

Oh, the bottles...

pig massage?!

...and the antics continue...

Blue Bell gets bounced into regularly.

They flip and dance and spin...

...and grow horns.

The climb on everything.

...and continue to grow!

Horse Country

We were interested in this area due to its proximity to Asheville, a town known for its artistic community, local cuisine and beautiful location in the foothills of the mountains.  Tryon, is about an hour south and has the more rural qualities we look for in home.  It has a great local community, and the farmers market hosts an abundance of what the area offers.  Not only will you find local beeswax candles along with your honey, but also a various array of heirloom veggies and homemade treats.  Tryon is also known for its equestrian background.  It is where the US Olympic Equestrian team began, and today a huge International Equestrian Facility calls home.  It is definitely an area you’d call horse friendly with trailer parking areas and miles of trail systems for local folks to enjoy. :)  It is known for its mild year round weather, being on an isothermal belt, so it makes for good riding all year long.  However, all bets may be off with global warming.  As the temperatures rise into the 90s, we’re not sure if the weather will get the best of us, but in this moment, we are happy to be here.  We look forward to experiencing and exploring the country here, and simply trying it on.  :)

An American horse won the Grand Prix on the 4th of July, 

it was fitting.

Hot Springs

A cute town named for its natural hot springs and the first town you’ll actually walk through on the Appalachian Trail if you start your trek in Georgia.  We went up for the day, hiked around, then grabbed a hot soak in the mineral tubs, had lunch and explored town.  All in all a good day off.  :)  You can rent the tubs by the hour, they are washed and refilled after each use (the benefits of having hot mineral spring water right at your finger tips) and have views of the Broad River while soaking.  You can find just about anything you’ll need for your hike at the stores in town, and the folks are very welcoming and helpful.  We can imagine the fall and winter season would also be a beautiful time to visit.

view from Lover’s Leap

Blue Ridge to Love Valley

The following photos are views from the Blue Ridge Parkway which stretches 469 miles between the Great Smoky Mountains and Shenandoah National Parks.  Mount Mitchell is along the drive and sits as the highest peak in North Carolina and east of the Mississippi.  It was a little fogged in due to weather that day, but it cooled things down enough to give a respite from the heat.  Mountain weather is something we can appreciate.

view from the top of Mt. Mitchell

While taking an afternoon to explore the Blue Ridge Parkway we decided to take a detour to a little town I had read about.  It was founded by a man who wanted to live the cowboy life with his family.  Horse and wagons are the only mode of transport allowed on the main street, and hitching posts border the shops, general store and various drinking establishments.  They also boast over 1,000 miles of trails around the town for folks to ride on...really what more could you want?!  Well, unfortunately when we visited there were ‘for sale’ signs on many of the buildings, and only a few were open for business.  Naturally, bellying up to the bar for a beer was in order.  From the locals there, we found out most of the town was now for sale.  Don’t know what the future holds for Love Valley, but sure do love the idea of it.